Lightweight performance battery

[BarneyBoy]

I've been going to the gym 5 days a week - I'm down 10kg already. The battery can wait. Cheapest weight saving mod ever.

How much is the gym membership?

Anyhow... and this isn't aimed at you, six - but at everyone) so what if Polar's doing things differently? So what he's not just trolling along behind everyone else doing the flash, the coilovers, the BBS CS 18's, (turn to chapter 2 of the Mk5 Forum Upgrades Manual) the brand exhaust, the... well you know - upgrades by the numbers.

I actually like the fact he's pursuing routes that no-one else does. It's way more interesting than the vanilla upgrades the rest of us do. You may or may not agree with them, but he's got the balls to at least try it.

In case no-one's realised it, his mission is to strip excess weight to improve performance, rather than what everyone else does by flashing or whatever. That's his angle. Some people are modifying their Golf by colour coding, some go the track weapon route. He's stripping weight. My 2c.

[Maverick]

Anyhow... and this isn't aimed at you, six - but at everyone) so what if Polar's doing things differently? So what he's not just trolling along behind everyone else doing the flash, the coilovers, the BBS CS 18's, (turn to chapter 2 of the Mk5 Forum Upgrades Manual) the brand exhaust, the... well you know - upgrades by the numbers.

Kryten2001 asked about a lightweight battery and this was discussed along with the pros and cons (Polarbear had done the "mod" which was helpful).

So where's the problem? I see a discussion on the pros and cons of a lightweight battery.

[BarneyBoy]

Kryten2001 asked about a lightweight battery and this was discussed along with the pros and cons (Polarbear had done the "mod" which was helpful).

So where's the problem? I see a discussion on the pros and cons of a lightweight battery.

Well, seeing you brought it up... I agree that discussions are fine - it's just they often turn into judgements.

And to be strictly fair, the OP asked for people with EXPERIENCE in lightweight batteries, and Polar's actually one of the very few who has actual experience. We all already have experience with factory batteries and are aware of what benefits they offer, but with lightweight batteries? - I'm interested in hearing from those who've done the mod, even if I may never do it myself. That's all.

[kryten2001]

I'm interested in hearing from those who've done the mod, even if I may never do it myself. That's all.

Me too...

Anybody else?

I see there's bigger and smaller batteries available...

Surely you can get one that'll offer a week before going dead.....

Some of these come in kits with all the nice mounting hardware and all.. Look great, but I just can't live with something that'll go flat after a few days. It's not worth the benefits..

Removing the spare tyre/jack and going for lightweight rims.. I see the merit in that... The difference, even in a 240kw car, of having an additional person inside with you makes it obvious that saving 50-60kg would be of HUGE benefit...

Does anybody have any idea of the weight savings for going down the BBS route?... Them are some expensive rims, but nice....

Be a shame to lose the original Pirelli's, but then again - it'll also be good to 'shed' them, given its easier to replace third-party wheels than the original pirelli's anyway....

[jdd]

There are two main factors you need to take into consideration when replacing a car battery apart from the physical size, mounting and terminal orientation/size. The first one is the CA or CCA rating. The CA rating is the amount of current the battery can delivery at 0 Deg C for 30 seconds while still maintaining a cell voltage of at least 1.2V (7.2 V total). CCA is basically the same test but at -18 Deg C.
This rating is important to get right so you at least have enough current available to crank the engine over on a cold winters’ morning.
The second factor is usually referred to as RC, or reserve capacity, although it’s often referred to as Amp Hours (AH) with non-automotive batteries. While the AH and RC ratings measure the same thing, the two figures cannot be compared as they are calculated different ways.
The RC rating determines how many minutes the battery can sustain a 25Amp load while maintaining a battery cell voltage of at least 1.75V (10.5V total) whilst at 27 Deg C.
This rating is not so important to get right but it does depend on how the car is used.
If you spend time in stationary/slow traffic with lights, wipers and other accessories running in winter you probably shouldn’t skimp on this. If you don’t, then you might be able to get away with a battery that has a smaller RC rating.
As a general rule, smaller/lighter batteries usually have smaller RC figures without the CA figure dropping too much, if at all.
Also, it’s important to remember that all lead-acid batteries deteriorate with age. As they deteriorate, their CA and RC figures drop so you always need to add a safety margin in when selecting a replacement non-standard battery.

[Maverick]

Me too...

Anybody else?

I see there's bigger and smaller batteries available...

So that I don't offend BarneyBoy and can continue to contribute to the thread I did a test last night with a smaller battery.



Unfortunately this 6AH battery wasn't able to start the car or even the headunit but it does only weigh 1.9kg so my car lost 18kg

Be a shame to lose the original Pirelli's, but then again - it'll also be good to 'shed' them, given its easier to replace third-party wheels than the original pirelli's anyway....

How much do the Pirelli's weigh? Oz Ultraleggera are ~8.4kg in 18x8.

[kryten2001]

How much do the Pirelli's weigh? Oz Ultraleggera are ~8.4kg in 18x8.

That's the million dollar question. I have no idea.

[Transporter]

Ok, how about the Optima Yellow Top battery. Would you make a compromise by fattening the battery up by some 3kg.
D51 yellow top weights only 11.8kg
I use it in the Subaru Forester and I'm very happy with it. By memory it was less than $300 some 3 years ago.

http://www.optimabatteries.com.au/Products/OptimaYellowTop.aspx

[Maverick]

Ok, how about the Optima Yellow Top battery. Would you make a compromise by fattening the battery up by some 3kg.
D51 yellow top weights only 11.8kg
I use it in the Subaru Forester and I'm very happy with it. By memory it was less than $300 some 3 years ago.

http://www.optimabatteries.com.au/Pr...YellowTop.aspx

Looks like the Optima falls in between the OEM and the Deka. Both the OEM and Optima have heaps more capacity.

Deka ETX18L 20AH / 330 CCA
206mm (L) x 91mm (W) x 163mm (H)
8.2kg

http://www.eastpenn-deka.com/assets/base/0278.pdf

Optima Yellow 41AH / 500 CCA
236.4mm (L) x 128.6mm (W) x 227mm (H)
11.8kg

http://www.optimabatteries.com.au/Content/Documents/D512020D51R_082004.pdf

Varta Silver Dynamic (563 400 061 3162) 63AH / 610 CCA
242mm (L) x 175mm (W) x 190mm (H)
~18kg

http://www.varta-automotive.com/index.php?id=43&L=

[kryten2001]

Looks like the Optima falls in between the OEM and the Deka. Both the OEM and Optima have heaps more capacity.

Deka ETX18L 20AH / 330 CCA
206mm (L) x 91mm (W) x 163mm (H)
8.2kg

http://www.eastpenn-deka.com/assets/base/0278.pdf

Optima Yellow 41AH / 500 CCA
236.4mm (L) x 128.6mm (W) x 227mm (H)
11.8kg

http://www.optimabatteries.com.au/Content/Documents/D512020D51R_082004.pdf

Varta Silver Dynamic (563 400 061 3162) 63AH / 610 CCA
242mm (L) x 175mm (W) x 190mm (H)
~18kg
http://www.varta-automotive.com/index.php?id=43&L=

Yeah those yellowtops look great. Only a few kg more than the dinky batteries, and way more power/shelf life.

I'm gonna look into it...

[Maverick]

Yeah those yellowtops look great. Only a few kg more than the dinky batteries, and way more power/shelf life.

I'm gonna look into it...

Only problem is the height as the top cover of the battery compartment will have to be removed and I'm not sure how much room there is to the bonnet?

[Transporter]

Only problem is the height as the top cover of the battery compartment will have to be removed and I'm not sure how much room there is to the bonnet?

It can be bolted down at any position.
Also, make sure that you check the production date of that battery. The battery could be already 2 or 3 years old when you buy it since it is expensive and they don't sell that fast. However the battery should have production no. and it can be traced down.

[POLARBEAR666]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Maverick View Post
Looks like the Optima falls in between the OEM and the Deka. Both the OEM and Optima have heaps more capacity.

Deka ETX18L 20AH / 330 CCA -----AS tested in store in front of me 715CCA!!! absolutely pwned the other batteries. Test one yourself!!
206mm (L) x 91mm (W) x 163mm (H)
8.2kg

http://www.eastpenn-deka.com/assets/base/0278.pdf

Optima Yellow 41AH / 500 CCA ----Tested alongside Deka only got 550
236.4mm (L) x 128.6mm (W) x 227mm (H)
11.8kg

http://www.optimabatteries.com.au/Co...51R_082004.pdf

Varta Silver Dynamic (563 400 061 3162) 63AH / 610 CCA
242mm (L) x 175mm (W) x 190mm (H)
~18kg

http://www.varta-automotive.com/index.php?id=43&L=

The interesting thing is that Deka make the batteries for many ATV's and harley davidsons etc. So they are very reliable dry cell and wont deteriorate as badly as a lead acid would.

[kryten2001]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Maverick View Post
Looks like the Optima falls in between the OEM and the Deka. Both the OEM and Optima have heaps more capacity.

Deka ETX18L 20AH / 330 CCA -----AS tested in store in front of me 715CCA!!! absolutely pwned the other batteries. Test one yourself!!
206mm (L) x 91mm (W) x 163mm (H)
8.2kg

http://www.eastpenn-deka.com/assets/base/0278.pdf

Optima Yellow 41AH / 500 CCA ----Tested alongside Deka only got 550
236.4mm (L) x 128.6mm (W) x 227mm (H)
11.8kg

http://www.optimabatteries.com.au/Co...51R_082004.pdf

Varta Silver Dynamic (563 400 061 3162) 63AH / 610 CCA
242mm (L) x 175mm (W) x 190mm (H)
~18kg

http://www.varta-automotive.com/index.php?id=43&L=

The interesting thing is that Deka make the batteries for many ATV's and harley davidsons etc. So they are very reliable dry cell and wont deteriorate as badly as a lead acid would.

The CCA rating isn't everything. Look at the storage capacity.

If the Deka goes flat in 3 days, by those ratings, the Optima will go 6... That's worth a kilo or two, easy.

What does the OEM battery weigh anyway? 19kg? 20?

It's a good compromise, I'm going to go check em out.

[Transporter]

The CCA rating isn't everything. Look at the storage capacity.

If the Deka goes flat in 3 days, by those ratings, the Optima will go 6... That's worth a kilo or two, easy.

What does the OEM battery weigh anyway? 19kg? 20?

It's a good compromise, I'm going to go check em out.

Optima yellow top will start your car after 3 month or longer. I originally bought the optima battery for my van to power up laptop, printer and other equipments using the 12V to 240V inverter after short time I removed it from the van and left it in the shed for 3months. When battery in the forester died I put the Optima battery straight in the forester without charging it. It started the first tick. It didn't surprise me since that's their characteristic retain the capacity for very long time and being able to recharge from flat to full capacity in about an hour.
Also during the time I had the optima in the van I jumpstarted many cars with it, including the V8's. When I was checking the market what batteries are there which would jumpstart the engines inc. V8 engine and also was able to be used as deep cycle battery, which would tolerate infrequent recharging and was as light as possible the optima came on the top. The brands like Odyssey, Deka and other small batteries didn’t hold the charge for very long. I retired the optima battery from my van after I was given a brand new thumper pack.